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Islamabad, May 7, IRNA – A senior Iranian official has said that Iran has sought the cooperation of Pakistan in the recovery of abducted fifth border guard.
Talking to IRNA Iran’s Border Guard Commander Brigadier General Hossein Zolfaghari said that Iranian Minister for Interior Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli has made the request with Pakistani higher authorities in his visit of Pakistan.
He said that according to latest evidence and documents available Jamshid Danaeifar is alive.
The Border Guard Commander added that Iranian delegation has raised the issue of safe recovery of the abducted guard during its interaction with the Pakistani officials.
He said that other important issue discussed with Pakistani authorities was that the Pakistani border forces are stationed at a long distance from Iranian guards which creates a huge space for illegal activities.
The Iranian official said that illegal activities at border can be controlled by increasing the number of check posts by Pakistani border forces. He said that if Pakistan adds more check posts it would ease the pressure from Iranian border security forces.
Hossein Zulfaghari said that Pakistani authorities have been told that Iran is increasing the number of check posts on its side of the border and by the end of this year 90 percent of the area will come under the control of the Iranian guards.
He said ˈWe wish that Pakistan would support our security measures and help us by increasing the number of its border forces.ˈ
The Border Guard Commander expressing his views said that the security of border area needs to be enhanced with the laying of gas pipeline. “If the gas pipeline is vulnerable to security threats then it is difficult to bring economic stability and development in the area,” he viewed.
Zulfaghari said that as Iran is taking extra security measures at border because the drug traffickers are using the route of Pakistan to smuggle drugs from Afghanistan.
He said that with the effective operation of Iran’s land border guards the drugs are being smuggled through see routes from Pakistan. He asked Pakistani coast guards to play an effective role in controlling the activities of drug smugglers.
“We have requested Pakistan to formalize the interaction of Iran-Pakistan coast guards,” he said.
The Iranian official added that about two to three million liters of Iranian petrol is smuggled into Pakistan daily. He said that if Iranian oil is allowed to be sold in Pakistani border areas then this illegal activity can be stopped which would help development and economy stability of border regions of Pakistan.